Paternity Leave in Washington DC: Your Employer Pays for All of It

DC Paid Family Leave has a rare perk: your employer pays for all of it. Nothing comes off your paycheck. Dads get 12 weeks to bond with the baby, and that part survived the cuts on October 1, 2026.

Do you qualify for paternity leave in Washington DC?

Probably, if you spend more than half your work time in DC for a private employer. Telework counts. You can live in Maryland or Virginia and still qualify. There’s no minimum time on the job.

Federal and DC government employees aren’t in this program; they have their own leave rules. Self-employed workers can opt in.

Is your job protected during paternity leave in Washington DC?

Not by Paid Family Leave. DC PFL pays you but doesn’t protect your job. Job protection comes from the DC Family and Medical Leave Act (DCFMLA) or federal FMLA.

DCFMLA covers employers with 20 or more employees. You qualify after 12 months with your employer and 1,000 hours in the last year. It gives you up to 16 weeks of unpaid, job-protected family leave in two years, so your 12 paid weeks fit inside it.

Not sure how to bring it up at work? Our guide on how to ask for paternity leave has a script.

How much is paid family leave in Washington DC, and for how long?

DC PFL pays up to 90 percent of your wage on a sliding scale: lower earners get the higher percentage. Since October 1, 2026, the maximum is $1,100 a week, down from $1,190.

You get up to 12 weeks of parental leave in the baby’s first year. The October changes cut family and medical leave, but parental leave stayed at 12 weeks.

How to file a paid family leave claim in Washington DC

You apply to the DC Department of Employment Services (DOES), not your employer.

1. Tell your employer at least 10 days ahead. If DCFMLA covers you, give 30 days, because that law asks for it.
2. Wait until the baby is born. You can’t apply before the qualifying event.
3. Apply within 30 days of the birth. Then you can claim all your leave dates, including days already taken. Apply later and you can only claim leave still ahead of you.
4. Add proof of the birth, like the birth certificate or hospital record.

Thirty days after a birth goes by in a blur of diapers. Put a reminder in your phone now.

What does your employer have to do?

• Give you your job back after DCFMLA or FMLA leave, if you qualify.
• Keep your health insurance going during DCFMLA leave. Adding the baby to the plan is a separate step with its own short deadline.
• Not punish you for applying for or taking Paid Family Leave.

Washington DC paid family leave deadlines

• 30 days before your leave: tell your employer. The legal minimum for PFL is 10 days, but DCFMLA and FMLA ask for 30.
• Birth day: the earliest you can apply.
• Within 30 days of the birth: apply for PFL, and add the baby to your health plan. Federal rules give you at least 30 days for the insurance.
• Baby’s first birthday: all parental leave has to be used by then.

Before you lock in dates, take our free paternity leave HR questions to HR and write the answers down. Rather ask by email? Our free HR email template is ready to copy: fill in the blanks and hit send.

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General information, not legal or financial advice. DC changed its program on October 1, 2026, and may change it again. Check with HR and dcpaidfamilyleave.dc.gov before you plan dates.

Sources: DC Paid Family Leave: 2026 program changes, FAQ, DC Office of Human Rights: DCFMLA FAQ, US Department of Labor.